Wisconsin’s finest hickory players, here gathered for the Cherokee CC match, are forming a hickory players association. They have issued a challenge to neighboring Midwest states for hickory matches. Any takers?
On Saturday, Sept. 15, eight hickory players from Ridgeway CC in Neenah, Wisc. visited Madison, Wisc. for a hickory golf match with seven players from Cherokee CC. The Ridgeway fellows won the day, but everyone formed lasting friendships and deepened their interest in hickory golf. In fact, such was the enthusiam, that an alliance was formed to create a Wisconsin Hickory Golf Association, (details to be worked out).
The newer hickory players this day said they found the day to be enlightening. They’d like more experience with the clubs and begin their search for clubs that perform better for them. Most liked the length of the course at 6,000 yards. Here are a couple of their comments:
- “I think hickory golf is a great way to keep old traditions alive. It is a great deal of fun and really cool. Most excellent.”
- “I think a course of 5,800 to 6,000 is a good test.”
One of the local members took pictures of each group as they reached the third green. She was very impressed with how we looked and with the old clubs. Carol is an eighty-something who walks 18 holes every day and carries her bag. She has an 11 handicap.
Her pictures go well with the group picture taken with Dennis Tiziani before the start of the match.
The players at Cherokee are sponsoring a Hickory Day on Oct. 13 for the members. We will start at the range, fit clubs to players, then go out and play a round for fun.
The Wisconsin groups from both clubs are looking for additional players in Wisconsin to create a three-event match that will be held around the state to promote hickory golf. We welcome any groups from the Midwest (Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan) to play a State-on-State type of Ryder Cup event sometime next year. We can have the Big Ten Challenge. If interested, please contact Greg Smith (gsmith@mge.com) or Bill Ernst (Bernst@new.rr.com). We welcome all challengers.